"louie" wrote in message
ups.com...
A voltage meter could certainly tell you if there's power to the outlet
or not. There are also inexpensive probes that are available that can
tell if a circuit is live or not just by holding the probe near it
(test the probe on a known live circuit before testing the subject
circuit). Once you've verified that power to the box is off, then you
have the option of trying to pull out the ground prong or replace the
outlet.

Ok, thanks. Makes sense. Do I need to insert both probes of the multi-meter
into the outlet, or just one, with the other grounded somewhere?


Why aren't the outlets grounded? Older wiring?


Yeah, the house was built in the 1800's. Wiring is very very old. It is a
three-story victorian type. Would be bvery hard to ground all the outlets
and fixtures.